


The Hunt!

by Romwaeta



Category: DuckTales (Cartoon 2017)
Genre: Angst, Death in first chapter but the character is still. there, F/F, Gen, Ghost Hunter AU, Lena is a pining softie, Magica is a bitch, Modern AU kinda, Verbal Abuse, We hate Magica in this household, don’t let dewey film anything, just. tw magica., lena de spell angst, the triplets share a braincell and huey has it 24/7, this is actually pretty dark
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2021-02-05
Updated: 2021-02-15
Packaged: 2021-03-16 20:14:02
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 2
Words: 6,724
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/29213241
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Romwaeta/pseuds/Romwaeta
Summary: Webby is a fourteen year old horror enthusiast. She lives in the bustling city of Duckburg, which so happens to have an abundance of abandoned buildings and occult locations. Can she prove to the world that the paranormal exists? And when she discovers a dark secret, can she figure out how to stop the Shadow War?Lena absolutely despises her family- mostly due to the fact that when she killed her aunt in self defense, the damn woman had been in the middle of a deal with a demon- and now it was mad- and willing to use Lena as a means to get what it wants. No amount of running away can save her now.Can they stop whatever the Demon Blot is planning before it’s too late? And more importantly... can they save Lena?
Relationships: Dewey Duck & Huey Duck & Louie Duck, Dewey Duck & Huey Duck & Louie Duck & Lena & Webby Vanderquack, Dewey Duck & Huey Duck & Louie Duck & Webby Vanderquack, Lena (Disney: DuckTales)/Webby Vanderquack
Comments: 9
Kudos: 31





	1. Nobody

**Author's Note:**

> So I’ve been working on this for a long time now, then Google Docs deleted like. Everything I had, so I’ll just be posting as I go. Enjoy!
> 
> Again, quick warning for death this chapter. Not super graphic though.

_ June 16th, 2018 _

“Can you do  _ anything  _ right? I asked you to do  _ one simple task  _ and you can’t even get through with it! I can’t believe I’m  _ stuck  _ with such a useless and moronic  _ child _ ,” the tall woman barked angrily, a glass bowl falling to the ground with an echoing shatter that sent a jolt of fear careening down the teen’s spine.

“What about any of this is  _ simple?  _ I literally don’t even know what half of the stuff on your stupid errand list  _ is-  _ how am I supposed to get you something that I can’t even find in a fucking  _ Walmart _ ?” Lena shot back, flinching as another glass shattered on the ground. She took a step back, her aunt mumbling curses beneath her breath as she edged closer to the girl.

“I asked  _ the bare minimum  _ of you! It’s not that hard to find everything I needed, and now it’s  _ your fault  _ that I have nothing to offer to Blot!” Magica took another step towards her, fingers clenched at her sides, twitching every few seconds. 

“It’s not  _ my  _ fault you made a deal with the stupid demon in the first place!” Lena growled angrily, freezing as the words sank in. “I- I mean-”

“Silence, you insolent  _ whelp _ ,” Magica grew nearer, cold fingers firmly clenching at her throat. “You know exactly  _ why  _ I made that deal. In exchange for the Will of a Thousand Spirits, I will be granted  _ unimaginable power _ . The first thing I  _ do  _ will be to wipe you off the face of this  _ realm _ ,”

Lena’s breath hitched, back pressed against the kitchen counter. Her hands fumbled along the smooth surface, searching for something,  _ anything,  _ she could use to protect herself from Aunt Magica’s fury. Her fingers curled around the handle of what she  _ knew  _ was a knife. Lena had been using it while preparing dinner earlier that evening.

Her grip tightened, and her vision went red, as did the ground. The teen fell to her knees, coughing hoarsely as her eyes scanned the body for any signs of life.

She had killed her aunt.

Lena should feel  _ safe _ \- but she couldn’t shake the lingering hesitation in the back of her mind. At least Magica wasn’t really… a public figure. She had no job, their house was simply some cottage in the woods that nobody checked in on- distant enough from society, but not too far.

Nobody would come looking, and in  _ that  _ aspect, Lena was safe.

But there was still something wrong. Something she was missing. The teen slowly backed away from the kitchen- she didn’t want to stay here. She couldn’t help but feel in her gut that something utterly terrifying would happen if she stayed. 

Lena made quick work of dropping what few belongings she had into a backpack, doing her best to ignore the crimson red staining her fingers. She’d need to wash her hands before she set off- before anybody began to ask questions. 

The bathroom of the cottage was simple and small. Nothing too fancy, just the necessities. Lena’s breath was ragged as she aggressively scrubbed at the red clinging to her skin, even past the point she  _ knew  _ it was just a figment of her imagination. 

_ You can’t run from us, Lena. _

The teen froze, eyes wide as her head swiveled in all directions- desperately searching for the source of the voice. She clenched her fists, shutting off the water and allowing the beads of liquid to drip onto the porcelain. 

_ We made a deal. And he is very intent that it gets carried through. Just a few more Wills, and you’ll be free. Of me, of him, of  _ control _. Isn’t that what you want? _

“I- I killed you. Wh- what are-  _ how?”  _ Lena’s breath picked up speed as she clenched the sides of the sink. “Leave me  _ alone! _ ”

_ Oh, sweet, dumb, little, Lena. You can’t hide from me. You belong to me, and you will obey me. _

Lena let out a shrill scream as an invisible force pushed her onto her knees. The shadow beneath her warped into the familiar silhouette of the very woman she was struggling to escape from, and the teen froze- paralyzed with fear.

_ Do you understand? _

“I- I… yeah. I’ll… I’ll get those  _ stupid  _ Wills,”

_ Good. _

  
  
  
——————————————————————  
  
  


_ September 1st, 2021 _

“Are you  _ sure _ this is a good idea, Webs?” Dewey eyed their surroundings carefully. “I’m all for proving that ghosts exist, but I think that this place isn’t… well structurally sound? Right, Huey?” 

“Actually, the north wing of the building is the only place we’d need to worry about. Besides, ghosts aren’t real, I’m only here to make sure you guys don’t do anything dangerous,” Huey interjected. 

“I heard that  _ thousands  _ of people died here! It’ll be so cool to actually meet one of them! I have so many questions- like- what does it feel like to die? I’d totally figure it out myself but then I’d be dead, and I don’t actually  _ want  _ to die, I’m just really curious-” Webby rambled with her usual tone of jubilance, bouncing excitedly when new ideas floated into her head. “I should ask if ghosts can  _ fly!” _

“They float. Go through walls. Boo! So scary, I peed myself a little,” Louie rolled his eyes. “I’m literally only here to film in hopes something goes viral. One of you has to do  _ something  _ stupid enought to become the best thing since Vine, or maybe someone will actually discover a ghost. My bets are on Dewey for both of the categories,”

“Why Dewey?” Huey cocked an eyebrow in question. The green-clad triplet shrugged, pulling out his phone and opening the camera app.

“If he finds a ghost, he’s going to do something stupid- like try to challenge it to an arm wrestling match or something. Or he’ll run away screaming. If he doesn’t, he’s probably going to try and scare us, which will cause Webby to like- flip him onto the ground. All of the above are wonderful options to have on film. And hey, if they don’t go viral, it’s free blackmail material,” Louie explained without moving his eyes away from the phone screen.

“I’m literally right here?” Dewey turned to face his brothers, head tilted to the side in confusion. “And Webby would  _ never  _ hurt me! We’re best friends!”

“She literally hung you from the ceiling when we were playing with the nerf guns last weekend,” Huey deadpanned. “Or what about the game night-”

“We do  _ not  _ speak of the game night incident,” Dewey hissed. “And besides! That’s all in the past, the important thing is she’d never hurt me  _ now _ , right Webs?”

“What? Oh! Yeah- I’d never hurt you. Too bad. Is a little rough housing okay though?” Webby blinked innocently. Dewey’s jaw dropped, the boy promptly shaking his head and resting an arm on Webby’s shoulder.

“See? Best friends! We have the best inside jokes!” he grinned. 

“We’ve arrived at the entrance! According to the Junior Woodchuck Guidebook, we should be careful when entering and survey the ground for broken glass so we don’t step on it,” Huey chimed. The remaining members of the group exchanged a quick look before turning back to the red-clad triplet. 

“Your guidebook has a tutorial on breaking and entering-?” Louie raised an eyebrow. “Huh. If I knew that it went beyond nerd facts and useless quotes, I would have joined you. Does it have anything on pickpocketing?”

“I- Louie-  _ no _ \- it just has a guide on successfully navigating dangerous areas. I’d classify this asylum as an abandoned and unstable structure, so I’m just following what the guidebook says about that,” Huey fumbled through the pages of the book. “And to answer your second question, no. There’s nothing in here about pickpocketing because it goes  _ against  _ what the Woodchucks stand for!”

“Bleh. Boring nerd stuff,” Louie mumbled, adjusting a few things on his phone. “Are we ready to record this stuff?”

“Yeah! Hit the camera, make sure I’m in the frame so I can introduce myself!” Dewey exclaimed dramatically. Louie rolled his eyes, purposefully moving the camera angle away from the blue-clad triplet. “Hey!”

“Alright, we’re rolling,” the boy in green announced. 

“Hi! I’m Webby! This probably won’t be anything big but we’re recording this for fun and Louie thinks he’ll profit off of it. Oh! Louie’s the one behind the camera- Huey’s over there with the big book, and this is Dewey! He’s our bait!”

“You know it!” Dewey beamed proudly- until Webby’s words finally registered in his mind. “Wait  _ what?  _ Why am I the bait and not Louie or something! Or Huey!”

“I’m just joking! Ha.. ha- yep!” Webby’s awkward smile told the opposite, but the triplets knew better than to push. “But! Without further ado, let’s go in and see what we find!” 

The short girl pulled open the large door, layers of dust and spiderwebs fluttering to the ground as the inky black of shadows was all one could see beyond. The group pulled out their phones, effectively turning on their flashlights, and pushed into the darkness.

“What exactly are we even looking for? I doubt we’ll find anything if we just aimlessly walk around. Did anybody do any research on the best places to look?” Huey looked up from his guidebook.

“Dude that was literally your job,” Louie deadpanned, shifting the camera towards the red-clad triplet. “So none of us know what we’re doing?

“I say we head to the rooms! Someone is bound to have died there!” Webby exclaimed, rushing deeper into the building

“Webby! Watch out for broken glass!” Huey called out after her. The triplets quickly matched Webby’s pace, catching up to her, albeit out of breath. “Do you even know where you’re going?”

“Nope! But that’s the fun of it, I’m sure the ghosts will guide me to them, I’ll just go with the flow!” she shrugged, pointing her flashlight down a nearby hallway. “And the flow is telling me to go that way!”

“Is it the flow or the exit signs pointing in the other direction?” Louie mumbled under his breath, watching Webby as she darted for the hall. “What- hey! Hold on, I’m trying to record all this!”

“Wait, did anybody else see that?” Dewey’s question made everyone freeze in place. Huey eyed Louie, a look of-  _ Do you know what he’s talking about?  _ etched into his expression. Louie shook his head, turning towards Dewey once again.

“Did anybody else see  _ what _ ?” Webby’s eyes were wide and glittering with her usual spark of excitement. “A ghost? A demon?  _ Ooh _ , a  _ poltergeist _ ?” 

“I don’t know, I just… saw shadows moving. Like- by themselves,” Dewey frowned, moving his flashlight around the room in hopes of replicating the movements- to no avail. “It’s back to normal now but I could have sworn they were doing things they shouldn’t be,”

“Webby moved her flashlight really quickly, you probably just saw distorted shadows from such a rapid change of light source. Logical answer, because  _ ghosts don’t exist _ ,” Huey tapped his guidebook with his index finger. “According to the Junior Woodchuck Guidebook-”

“Any viewers we get will click away as soon as you start talking, Huey,” Louie groaned. “I don’t think Dewey saw a ghost, I think you’re just overreacting, but maybe if we keep going we’ll find something actually worthwhile,”

“Yeah. Yeah- you guys are probably right…” Dewey’s head slumped, crestfallen at the dismissal of his sighting. Webby placed a reassuring hand on his back, offering a warm smile.

“It’s okay! I believe you- there’s a type of ghost called a shade, and I’m pretty sure they can manipulate shadows. And if not, maybe it’s like- a shadow demon! How cool would  _ that  _ be?” she beamed brightly. “And if you see it again, they’ll  _ have  _ to believe you, twice can’t just be a coincidence!”

“Yeah! They can’t ignore it if it’s the both of us that sees it- if we keep sticking together, you’ll be there to back me up!” Dewey added on excitedly. “Let’s go!”

  
——————————————————————  
  
  


_ September 2nd, 2021 _

  
  


“First day of high school, how are we feeling?” Dewey shot a wide grin towards the rest of his siblings as their car rolled down the street- thank goodness Beakley had insisted on driving that morning instead of Launchpad. No offense to the driver, but they wanted to at least wait a few weeks before damaging school property.

“I’m excited! I’ll get to meet new people, venture into the unknown, and make friends! This is going to be awesome!” Webby squealed with excitement.

“Right. Forgot this is your first time going to public school. Pro tip, try to like- be a little less…  _ Webby _ . No offense at all, we all love you a lot, but normal people probably aren’t ready for questions about their favorite torture methods and stuff. So… maybe just ask about their favorite show or- and I feel gross for suggesting it- but  _ book  _ instead?” Louie didn’t even look up from his phone as he spoke. “I just want you to have a good first day, Webs,”

“Oh! Yeah. You’re probably right. Who here would be interested in ancient medieval torture methods. Ha.. ha… yeah. Oh! But what about ghosts? And the paranormal?” Webby perked up. “Last night was a ton of fun! Maybe we could find someone else who’d be interested in going on an adventure with us!”

“Maybe save that until like. The third sleepover?” Dewey shrugged. 

“We’re almost there! We all have the same lunch block so I’ll help you out a bit more then. Until lunch, just remember the rules we went over,” Huey softly smiled, adjusting the strap of his bag over his shoulder.

“Yep! No attacks, no talks of murder or torture, and remember that children are easily traumatized!” Webby listed them off, flicking up a finger per every rule she mentioned. “I got this! This’ll be fun!”

“Alright you four, please,  _ please _ , refrain from causing trouble or costly damages to school property. Mr. McDuck would not enjoy having to pay for any more damages, especially after the arcade… incident,” Beakley sighed, rubbing her temple. “And Webby, dear- if you don’t like this arrangement, I can always continue our homeschooling sessions,”

“I’m good Granny! I’m going to have a blast here!” 

And with that, Webby stepped out of the car. She followed the triplets through the main entrance, waving them goodbye as she turned towards her first class.

Except she didn’t know  _ where  _ her first class even was.

“Uh- hi! Excuse me?” she approached the nearest student, her smile wide as she fumbled with the schedule in her hands. “I’m Webby! Hi! Could you help me find out where this classroom is?”

The student only rolled their eyes, walking off with the group of apparent friends they had been hanging out with. Webby frowned, looking around for anybody else she could ask for assistance.

Out of the corner of her eye, she saw a girl- but when she turned to ask her for help, she was gone.

That was weird.

  
——————————————————————  
  
  


Webby eventually managed to find her classes, and before she knew it, the bell had rung- signaling the beginning of her lunch block. Following her makeshift map, she made her way towards the cafeteria- where Webby spotted the triplets seated at a distant table.

They waved her over, and she made haste as she approached.

“Webby! How has your day been?” Huey asked, handing her a sandwich from the big lunchbox he had packed for all of them that morning. 

“It’s been fun! No new friends yet but it’s only been a few hours! I mean… it’s not as exhilarating as looking for ghosts, but it's… something!” Webby shrugged, taking a bite of her lunch. “Oh- Louie, how did the recording from last night go?” 

“It’s fine. I still need to go through and edit out the unnecessary bits- and no, Dewey, we are not keeping the segment where you sang the High School Musical soundtrack,” Louie spoke nonchalantly, taking a long sip from his can of Pep.

“Awh, I thought that was one of the best parts,” Dewey frowned. Webby offered a few pats to his back.

“There’ll be more ghost hunts, Dewey! More chances to show the camera what you have, right?” she offered, finishing her sandwich and looking expectantly at the triplets. “Speaking of which, where should we go next?”

“I know a cool place. I heard that it’s haunted by a whole  _ subway  _ full of dead travelers,” a new voice interjected into the conversation. The group turned to find a girl- significantly taller than all of them- with an undercut and pink-dyed hair. Purple eyeshadow covered her eyelids- which additionally covered half of her eyes, completing the look of a surly teenager. “Sorry, overheard you guys talking about ghost hunting and I couldn’t help but get interested. What are you, YouTubers?”

“No, we just think it’s fun. Who are you?” Huey looked the girl over, searching for anything to nitpick. There was nothing she had to throw or dump on them, and seemingly had no intent to take anything from them. Huey bit his lip, hesitant about the girl.

“Name’s Lena. I’m a sophomore,” she rolled her eyes, pulling a chair from a nearby table over and taking a seat on it. “So… you guys in?”

“We barely even know you. How do we know this isn't like- some sort of prank from the upperclassmen?” Louie deadpanned, carefully placing the can of Pep onto the table so as to not make a sound. 

“Valid. I’m honestly just bored. Not much to do at home, the girls are too into boys, the boys are too into whatever it is you want to describe  _ that  _ as-“ she pointed towards a large table, full of noise and chaos. “And the gays are still in the closet. I’ve been looking though,”

“Oh… kay?” Huey slowly spoke. “Where’s the cool place?”

“The abandoned 919 track line, down in the subway. Rumor has it that it closed down back in 1994 after the train crashed and killed all the passengers onboard. People say those passengers can’t rest until they get to their destinations,” Lena hummed, fingers tapping against the table. “So you guys in?”

The triplets exchanged one of their signature glances, and nodded towards Webby- who reciprocated the gesture. 

“I’m Huey- these are my brothers, Dewey, and Louie- and this is Webby,” the red-clad triplet introduced

“Hi!” Webby chimed. “Your hair is cool. Also, I like your sweater!”

“Mm. Thanks,” Lena offered a fake smile, turning her eyes towards her phone. “Welp, gotta go. Meet me at the subway station at the corner of 5th at seven?” 

“Okay!” Webby chimed excitedly. “Oh, I can’t wait! This is going to be so  _ cool _ !”

“You said that last night,” Huey pointed out, beginning to get his belongings back together before the bell rang. 

“ _ This  _ time, we have someone who actually knows what we’re doing!” Dewey interjected, fidgeting impatiently with his thumbs. “Maybe we’ll actually get to see something paranormal this time!”

“The paranormal doesn’t exist, Dewey,” Huey sighed. “Remember, there’s a logical explanation for everything,”

“You ruin everything,” Louie groaned.

“It’s my job as oldest sibling, Llewelly-“

“Finish that sentence and you’re  _ becoming  _ a ghost,” 

  
——————————————————————  
  
  


_ Why did you drag a group of.. of idiots into this! You insolent whelp, you have one job! Place the Shadow Crystal in the Heart of Haunting. It will do the job of taking the Wills of all spirits in the area, and contribute to fulfilling the bargain with Blot!  _

“You seem to be forgetting what happened last time,” Lena mumbled nonchalantly, arms crossed as she leaned against the railing of the subway station. “And I’m  _ sorry  _ if I don’t want to be attacked and dragged off to  _ somewhere  _ by sentient shadows this time!”

_ I doubt the sincerity of your apology! Just- just place the crystal and be done with it! _

“It’s not that easy! First I need to  _ find  _ the Heart, then once I place the stupid artifact, I need to deal with all of the Wills that are bound to the demon who  _ hates  _ me!” Lena hissed angrily. “I’ll get it done by your stupid eclipse, but just lay off for a bit, will you?”

_ You watch your tone! _

“And what are you gonna do about it? Yell at me?” the teen rolled her eyes. “I’m just… using the kids for easier getaway. It’ll be fine,”

_ It better be. _

  
  



	2. Can

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> In which Lena traumatizes children and accidentally flirts with a girl.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> oohohohohooooo shits gettin real

_ September 2nd, 2021 _

“Lena!” the teen looked up from her phone screen, head swiveling towards the source of the call. Webby, accompanied by her… siblings? Lena wasn’t quite sure of the relation, but it was probably close enough. Her hand slid the device into the pocket of her jeans, and she slightly adjusted her surly stance.

“Hey, Pink,” she hummed in acknowledgement, dark eyes scanning over the kids once they had gotten closer. She quirked an eyebrow at the bags loaded with cheap and most likely fake equipment in them. “You’re bringing all that stuff?”

“Well, yeah! We’re going to want to communicate with the ghosts  _ and  _ know if they want to kill us. It’s the best way to do it, I saw it on a TV show!” the triplet clad in blue- Bluey? Lena wracked the back of her head for his name- exclaimed with excitement. The teen let out a low snort. 

“That’s mostly fake, and the people you see on TV are actors. Usually anything they find in those shows is completely phony.  _ We’re  _ going to meet some ghosts, and we’ll  _ know  _ if they want to kill us,” Lena shrugged. Bluey’s complexion fell, his shoulders slumping as he sighed. Lena bit her lip.

“But hey, if you want to bring you nerd stuff, it’s fine. Maybe I’m wrong,” she knew very well that nothing she could see packed would function as intended, but she hated the sinking feeling in her gut that the kid’s disappointment brought her. Her words struck a chord, and he lightened up instantaneously.

_ Why are you humoring them, Lena? You have one simple task, get on with it already!  _

The teen held back the urge to roll her eyes, and instead shot a glance towards the subway entrance. 

“Is something bothering you?” the red one piped up. Lena tensed, shaking her head and slipping back into the  _ rebel teen  _ persona. 

“Nah, just remembered I forgot to submit something earlier. I’ll just remember to do it tonight,” she shrugged nonchalantly. “Enough standing around, let’s go get some nightmare fuel!”

“ _ Please  _ don’t phrase it like that,” the green triplet pleaded. 

“What, are you  _ scared _ ?” Lena taunted playfully in return. She quickly pulled out her phone, turning on the flashlight and angling it down the steep stairwell that led into the subway station.

“What? No! Dewey’s just sensitive and I’m not dealing with him crawling into my bed crying tonight,” the kid mumbled in response, eliciting an aggravated  _ “Hey!” _ from Bluey.

Lena shrugged, beginning her descent into the underground. “Whatever helps you sleep at night, Greenie,”

“My name is  _ Louie _ ,” he muttered beneath his breath, pulling out his own flashlight and following Lena down the staircase. 

The walls were cold, the air stiff yet laced with the scent of smoked cigarettes and smog. The temperature dropped the deeper the kids ventured below the surface, each step sending unease rolling through Lena’s entire being. Was she making the right decision with this? Shaking away the thought, her sneaker landed against the paved ground of the subway platform.

“According to this map of the subway, the abandoned train line is a little further down the track. We need to be really careful of passing trains when we walk down there,” the red one spoke up, eyes carefully scouring every inch of the paper held in his hands. “As the oldest, it’s my responsibility to make sure we get out of here safely,”

“Huey, technically  _ Webby’s  _ the oldest,” Dewey pointed out, the girl in question rolling back and forth on the balls of her feet as she attempted, and failed, to veil her excitement. 

“Let’s be real, she’s physically older but still doesn’t know the difference between fun and torturing someone,” Louie deadpanned, fingers tapping against the screen of his phone.

“There isn’t a difference, Louie. But anyways! Lena’s the oldest! She’s a sophomore, right?” Webby abruptly piped up.

“Yeah, sure. But you can keep the job of being the responsible one. No offense, but that’s just too much work,” Lena rolled her eyes, peering over Huey’s shoulder to the map. “But we should get going if we don’t want to get caught between trains,”

Lena didn’t bother to wait around for the response of the rest of the group, instead opting to hop off of the platform and begin walking along the rails. As the minutes droned on, Lena could make out the silhouette of another figure approaching her out of the corners of her peripheral vision.

“Hi! I’m Webby. I told you that earlier, but I don’t think I told you that you’re pretty,” the shorter girl began to ramble, though Lena could only blink in surprise at her words. “I just mean you look good! Like not that you look  _ better  _ than everyone else but you’re the prettiest girl I’ve met. Also the first girl I’ve met- but-”

“Woah there- easy, Webs. I’m flattered,” Lena found it surprising how easy it was to let out a low giggle. “I must agree, I think I look pretty nice, too. And I’ve gotta say, that bow of yours is  _ adorable _ ,”

Lena didn’t bother to swallow back the smile as Webby’s cheeks flushed a bright red. The teen gently ruffled the shorter girl’s hair, eliciting a high pitched squeal from the girl.

“You know, I’m good at fighting! I’ll fight a ghost for you!” Webby blurted out without warning. Taken aback, Lena blinked before darting her gaze forwards. “I- I mean I’d fight a ghost for the triplets too! But you’re also someone I’d fight a ghost for!”

“I’m honored,” Lena quipped, fighting back the blush that threatened to dust her cheeks. How could someone she had  _ just  _ met already be worming her way into Lena’s heart. This was just supposed to be a  _ cover,  _ not an  _ actual  _ friendship. “If that ghost kills you, I’d totally avenge your death,”

“Aw, that’s sweet,” Lena could make out Webby’s head turning to the side as she spoke. Biting her lip, the teen angled the flashlight towards a barricade in the near distance. 

“Enough flirting, we’re here,” Louie’s sly grin could be heard in his tone, and Lena shot him an angered glance, to which his grin only grew as he silently mouthed  _ payback _ .

“We weren’t flirting,  _ Dewey _ ,” Lena shot back. She ignored the scoff of the blue triplet, and instead smirked towards the grumbling Louie. 

“To be fair, you had it coming,” Huey shrugged, folding up the map and pulling out a worn out book. Lena sighed, walking towards the barricade and inspecting it carefully. The nails were loose, and with enough force could be easily pulled out. 

“Webs, come help me force this open,” she called out, the shorter girl at her side in an instant. Before Lena could even begin to pry at the wooden barricade, Webby had her hands wrapped around the edges, and seconds later, it was on the ground. Lena could only blink, stunned by her strength. “Wow. Okay, then,”

“She’s scary strong,” Dewey shrugged, running past the girls and into the darkness of the abandoned tunnel. 

“You can also just say she’s scary. But she’s also our honorary sister, so if you hurt her, we  _ will  _ tell her grandma,” Louie eyed Lena with meticulous eyes, following his brother into the previously barricaded entrance.

“Why would I be intimidated by an old woman..?” Lena raised an eyebrow towards Webby, who only waved her off.

“Don’t worry, Granny hasn’t killed in over a decade. I think,” Webby shrugged, grabbing Lena’s hand suddenly, and pulling her into the darkness. Lena could only blink, dumbfounded by the conversation that had just occurred. 

Once Huey had joined them, Lena reached into her pocket, fingers brushing over the sleek and smooth surface of the all too familiar Shadow Crystal. Pulling her hand away, leaving the object in place, she pointed her flashlight towards the distance. Cobwebs were strung from the ceiling, rock and discarded trash littering the ground for all the eye could see.

“Let’s just start heading towards the crash site,” she mumbled, ignoring the familiar feeling of the stone in her pocket, growing in temperature.  _ Something  _ supernatural was near, and growing closer.

A rumble cut off her train of thought, the ground shaking as dust rained from the ceiling. She didn’t have time to think, reaching for whoever was closest to her and hunching over them, arms tightly wound around two bodies in a sorry attempt to shield them from falling debris.

And just as suddenly as it had begun, it was over.

“Huh, didn’t take you for somebody with a hero complex,” Louie broke the silence, causing Lena to let out a low growl.

“I do  _ not  _ have a hero complex. I’m just not going to get a bunch of kids killed so I can get haunted for the rest of my life or something stupid like that,” she spat.

“Well, our exit is blocked, so we’re going to need to head further in to get to the next platform along this track,” Huey announced. Sure enough, rocks had fallen in a way that obstructed any way through the way they had gotten in. How wonderful. 

“You give nice hugs, Lena,” Webby whispered softly. Lena paused, looking down towards her left, where Webby was awfully close to her side. 

“That wasn’t a hug. I’m not a hugger,” she mumbled in response. Webby’s grin was hard to miss as she nudged Lena with her elbow.

“Not yet, you’re not!”

“What even is that supposed to mean-?” Lena was cut off by Louie’s hand on her back. She flinched, but he didn’t seem to notice- or if he did, he brushed it off.

“You’re the one who initiated contact with us. You get the full package deal, which includes Webby’s hugs and Dewey’s singing. I apologize for only one of those,” he spoke nonchalantly, moving his hand away from the teen in order to fumble with his phone.

“Don’t worry, you’ll get used to the hugs!” Dewey reassured, pulling out his own phone to turn on his flashlight.

“I was apologizing for your singing,” Louie rolled his eyes, ignoring Dewey’s huff of protest.

“Okay, whatever, let’s just keep going. Get to the crash, and then find the exit. Perfect plan,” Lena interjected, brushing past the triplets and leading the way deeper into the abandoned tunnel.

_ You know, it seems like you actually care about their safety. This would have gone a lot quicker if you went alone. _

Checking to make sure the others were far enough behind, Lena whispered back. “Last time I went  _ alone,  _ I nearly died, so no, I am  _ not  _ doing that again,”

_ So what? They can’t  _ actually  _ hurt you. Too badly. Come on, it’d be nothing you didn’t deserve! _

“Do you want me to do this for you or  _ what?  _ We do it my way, or we don’t do it at all,” Lena hissed harshly, pausing as heat beat against her hip, the crystal in her pocket searing with high temperature. 

“Lena? What is  _ going on?”  _ Huey’s voice was breaching into hysteria, and the teen followed his gaze toward the floating wisps of white fog, angry eyes fixed on the group. “What is  _ that _ ?”

“That, my dear Huey, would be a ghost,” Lena swallowed back any fear that might have expressed itself, instead opting to take a step back. “I also think that it’s a sign to run,”

White tendrils of mist reached towards her, though as they grew closer, inky darkness began to consume them. The shadow crystal was searing hot, if not for the aspect that it was merely residual of the magic contained within the artifact, Lena was certain a hole would have been burned straight through her leg. If the ghost had been angry beforehand, now it was absolutely livid. Eyes wide open with red, the homunculus darker than the surrounding shadows.

“Oh my god we’re going to die- take my brothers as an offering!” Louie exclaimed, voice frantic with fear. Huey’s eyes snapped open, grabbing the wrists of his brothers, and pulling them backwards. 

“We need to run,  _ now! _ ” Lena’s pupils had shrunk to pinpoints as she stepped back, searching through negative space for Webby. She found the girl’s hand, and darted to the side sharply, signaling for the boys to follow.

“Why is it mad! We didn’t do anything!” Huey was yelling, words of confusion mixed with denial and factual claims. “Maybe it’s a methane gas leak? Or a dream! Maybe a wormhole?”

“What kind of lives do you people  _ live?  _ It’s a ghost, it’s mad, stop trying to make sense of it and  _ keep running!”  _ Lena screamed over his rambling, pulling Webby into an alcove off to the side of the tunnel. The group breathed heavily, and thankfully, there was no sign of the threat that had been present mere seconds ago. 

“Never in my life have I been more terrified,” Louie’s typically nonchalant attitude was long gone, replaced by hunched shoulders, wide eyes, and quick breaths. “We need to get  _ out  _ of here. Like now,”

“ _ Please  _ tell me somebody got that on recording! We’re gonna be famous!” Dewey seemed far too happy about the near death situation than anybody else- excluding Webby. She also seemed really excited about it. 

“We can’t be famous if we’re dead,  _ Dewford! _ ” Louie interjected, hands fumbling through his hair. “I’m too young to die, I’m not even rich yet!”

“Ghosts aren’t real. There is a perfectly logical explanation for all of this! The Junior Woodchuck Guidebook has  _ clear  _ protocols for hallucinations. Have we all slept recently? Did… did lunch have possibly poisonous mushrooms or anything containing toxic chemicals that could cause our brain to hallucinate while it cleared our digestive systems? Maybe there’s really just a methane gas leak in here! Or-” Huey was cut off by Lena grabbing the book from his hands and slamming it shut.

“Stop that. That was a ghost- a  _ very  _ real ghost. You rambling isn’t going to change that, so somebody get out the goddamn camera and record something so we can leave. The crash site isn’t too far from here, so let’s just get there and film something. Okay?” Lena couldn’t hide the frustration in her tone.

“I have so many questions to ask!” Webby exclaimed. “When we get to the crash site I need to find a friendly ghost and talk to it!”

“No. There’s… ghosts aren’t friendly. Don’t even try. All they’re in the mortal plane for is supernatural vengeance or whatever, don’t aggravate it any more than we have to,” Lena bit, running a hand through her dyed bangs and handing Huey his book. “Let’s just get going. We’ve wasted enough time hiding,”

They walked in heavy silence. Lena led them carefully through the tunnel, the ground beneath them gradually becoming more and more layered with metal debris and chunks of rock.

Before them, the crashed mess of what could have once been a train sat upturned and in pieces. An uneasy amount of dark crimson and rusty brown layered the metal, as well as the scorch marks of an aggravated fire littered the debris.

“I’m going in to see if there’s anything worth checking out inside. You guys wander around the site, film whatever looks promising. Don’t follow me until I give the all clear, I’m not dealing with something falling and crushing one of you guys right now,” Lena’s tone lacked emotion as the kids exchanged glances, nodding in unison.

Lena climbed over debris, cursing beneath her breath as the crystal once again heated up against her hip. The teen pushed the remnants of the train’s door open, stepping into the severely mangled cart. Slipping a hand under the collar of her sweater, Lena pulled out an amulet.

_ “Summoned spirits of the dark, show thyself before your Heart,”  _ the shadows inside of the ruins of the train began to swirl together, surrounding a seeming epicenter. Biting her tongue, Lena dug a hand into her pocket, pulling out the Shadow Crystal and placing it in the center of the swirling shadow vortex.

It happened instantaneously, figures rose from the inky darkness, eyes slanted with the familiar shade of red Lena had come to associate with anger. She let out a scream as her senses were overcome with a sharp cold, tendrils of darkness wrapping themselves around her ankles, pulling her to the ground with a thud.

_ What are you waiting for? Get up, you insolent whelp! You’ve planted the crystal, now get up and get out! _

“I  _ can’t!”  _ Lena hissed in response, struggling to kick away the shadows. Footsteps thundered nearby, and soon enough, the triplets alongside Webby had emerged into the remnants of the cart. 

“Lena!” Webby called, rushing towards the teen and wrapping her arms around the girl’s chest. She pulled, and the grip of the shadows tensed. Dewey fumbled with his phone, the flash of the camera as he began to film chasing away the shadows in its aim.

“The light! Point light at it, then let’s get the fuck  _ out  _ of here!” Lena yelled over the chaos, patting herself down in search of her own device, once finding it making quick work of turning on the flashlight and aiming it towards her ankles.

“Oh boy, now  _ that  _ is a sign that we should leave. Like right now. If we stay any longer, I’m offering up Dewey,” Louie stepped back.

“That was so  _ cool! _ ” Dewey exclaimed with excitement, pumping his fists in the air. 

“Let’s discuss this when we’re not in danger?” Lena raised an eyebrow, pulling herself to her feet and ushering the others out the door. “The next platform is just a few minutes of a walk, let’s get out of these tunnels and back onto the surface,”

“Good plan. Cool.. cool cool. Ghosts are real. Ha.. ha.. Oh my god ghosts are real-” Huey’s face fell into shock, Louie patting him on the back as they moved past the crash site.

“Yes, Huey. What a wonderful observation, we only nearly died twice tonight! This is just a  _ stellar  _ time to have this revelation,” the green-clad triplet hummed in reply. 

Rays of moonlight were visible at the top of the staircase, and the group wasted no time in dashing towards the surface. The calm evening breeze wafted through Lena’s hair, and she let out a shaky breath.

_ Perhaps the little brats aren’t so useless. I expect for you to take advantage of their trust and interests to meet our goals, brat. _

Lena ignored the whispers of her aunt, instead turning towards the others.

“So that was certainly something. Fun times. There are definitely some other… probably less dangerous places I could show you some other time..?” Lena raised an uncertain eyebrow.

“That sounds awesome! Hold on, give me your number and I’ll make us a group chat!” Dewey exclaimed, his voice full of excitement.

——————————————————————

**_Dewey_ ** _ has created the group chat. _

**_Dewey_ ** _ has named the chat  _ **_Dew-mon Squad!_ **

**Lena:** dewmon? like. demon but its ur name..? tbh im disappointed but not surprised

**Louie:** dont look at me, dewey lives in his own world. im just editing footage from the asylum and tonight. theres some real creepy shit in there

**Huey:** It’s late, so I’m going to bed soon. If anybody needs me, I will be at school tomorrow.

**Dewey:** yeah!! We’re gonna be so famous for this stuff!!!

**Webby:** Lena! Do u think that u could come over for a sleepover this weekend? :DDD

**Lena:** uh sure lemme ask my aunt

**Lena:** btw im down to show yall this one place thats not too big n not too horribly haunted next time

**Louie:** lena pls im traumatized

**Lena:** trauma builds character. suffer.

——————————————————————

  
  


Lena shut off her phone, pulling the thin blanket over herself and nestling herself into her cot. 

_ Just ten more Wills, Lena. Ten more and the deal will be fulfilled. _

“I know, Aunt Magica,”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> my update schedule is super wonke so expect either 8 or 11 chapters with no in between. comments make me happy so like,,, pls comment your thoughts,,, 
> 
> thank you sm for reading!!!!
> 
> also i'm making a blog for this fic so her: https://deweyandthedemons.tumblr.com/

**Author's Note:**

> Hope you enjoyed! Find me on tumblr as @edenihira :)


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